Detroit council upholds Homeless Solutions funding chart, denies Legal Aid appeal

The Detroit City Council Committee of the Whole voted to accept the Housing Revitalization Department's recommendations for Homeless Solutions funding and denied an appeal from Legal aid and Defender.

HRD staff told the committee the Homeless Solutions package combines Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant funds totaling just under $5,000,000 and includes 31 activities. Chris Gulak, CPC staff, said 29 groups applied and 21 are recommended for funding; the chart before council lists the mayor's recommendations and HRD's scoring.

The funding recommendations were approved by voice vote after a motion; council members indicated no objections. Council President Mary Sheffield presided over the session and President Pro Tem James Tate moved to support the HRD and CPC recommendation to deny the single formal appeal from Legal aid and Defender. Gulak told council, "if council is satisfied with that response then council would vote whether to accept or deny the appeal." The motion to deny the appeal passed with no objections.

HRD staff outlined why several applicants scored below the 80 percent threshold used for funding. Tara Lindsner of the Housing Revitalization Department said the review panel included HRD homelessness solutions staff, Detroit Housing Services, the Office of Development and Grants, and external partners such as the Corporation for Supportive Housing and the Homeless Action Network of Detroit; reviewers signed ethics and confidentiality agreements and averaged three applications each before a consensus meeting produced final scores.

Lindsner described key scoring problems for specific applicants: All Things Women scored about 78 percent and lost points primarily for an incomplete budget narrative and missing documents required for HUD's pre-award financial risk assessment; Freedom House of Detroit scored 76 percent and lost points for late billing submissions and HMIS data problems; Legal aid and Defender scored 57 percent and, HRD said, "did not provide responses that demonstrated an understanding of how future programs with data collection, tracking client outcomes, determining length of client assistance, or meeting program benchmarks would be accomplished." HRD noted the NOFA anticipated funding one to two prevention providers and that the recommended awards mirror that guidance.

Council members pressed HRD on next steps for organizations not recommended for funding. Lindsner said HRD is willing to meet with applicants after council awards are finalized to walk through application weaknesses. Gulak said agencies may also pursue petitions through the City Clerk's office and that other funding opportunities, such as the General Fund RFP (planned for May/June for emergency shelter and street outreach) or the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) opening in September, could be options for some applicants.

The committee also received an HRD update on mapping emergency shelter locations and outreach: HRD reported 14 mapped emergency shelter and drop-in locations, with four additional confidential sites excluded from public maps because they serve victims of domestic violence, human trafficking or torture. HRD said it will expand outreach webinars (one in January had 94 attendees) to a minimum of three per year starting July 1, 2025, and will offer technical assistance on zoning for organizations that identify buildings for shelter use.

The council approved the full recommendations as presented and directed staff to prepare a resolution for the next Tuesday vote; HRD said the recommended awards are structured as two-year contracts, subject to future change if conditions require it.

Public commenters addressed the committee before final action. Nina Davis, executive director of All Things Women, said the application guidance was unclear and that her group learned after application that some financial documents affected scoring even where parts of the form said they would not; she told council, "part of the application says some financial documents are not, won't affect your score." Other callers urged stronger oversight of shelter quality and better tracking of outcomes.

Council members asked staff to follow up with the Office of Contracting and Procurement and the Office of the Comptroller on whether score details can be shared with applicants before council action, and HRD said it will meet with non-funded applicants after awards are finalized to review scoring and compliance.